The Messenger of Music

She really felt Reluctant to Part with Song Dao.

In her eyes, how was this merely a demo?

In her memory, only those older-generation artists and the very top Heavenly Kings and Queens could make a demo sound this good.

After all, this was only the song's preliminary presentation.

Although Song Dao's arrangement was quite complete, he hadn't added any mixing, effects, or anything like that.

Among the newcomers active in today's music scene, she had never seen anyone who could make a demo sound like this.

With just a little post-production, it could be uploaded directly to a music platform and start making money.

Yan Yu looked at Song Dao. "Not that I'm meddling, but I don't think anyone could perform it better than you!"

Before Song Dao sang it, if she had seen these lyrics and melody, she would only have thought it was a good song and that it would be a shame not to sing it herself.

Especially in terms of level, it was even higher than "See Through."

But now, it was no longer a matter of whether it was a shame or not. In her mind, no one could perform it better than Song Dao.

Song Dao himself was somewhat hesitant as well.

A song like Always Been Quiet, which completely didn't suit him, could be given to Kong Xi to sing while he happily collected money behind the scenes.

But he liked this song too.

Especially since, while his current songs weren't bad, they definitely couldn't compare to hit songs by former first-tier superstars like Zhang Yu.

But after thinking about it, he decided to forget it.

There were too many good songs!

He couldn't keep every song that came along for himself, could he?

It wasn't as though he hadn't thought about his future path.

Following the tasks released by the system, nurturing singers in this world, and passing on beautiful notes from Earth all matched what he wanted as well.

Putting lofty ideals aside, he really hoped that one day a whole group of Heavenly Kings and Queens and first-tier stars would work for him.

Being the godfather of music sounded pretty great.

That was the difference between "I'm awesome" and "I make all of you awesome too, but I'm even more awesome."

As for himself, at his current age and with his current identity, he should really advance step by step, climbing from low to high.

That would be more solid, and he would be less likely to fall.

So he wouldn't end up like Lin Fei, who had started with an incredible hand, shot to fame overnight, blocked other people's paths, and drew their jealousy.

Then, because of one small matter, everything had collapsed overnight.

His pen name, used for creation, could start tossing bombs out into the world right away. That was why he needed a pen name instead of using his real name.

As for himself, he just needed to take things one step at a time.

"I want to write more songs while I'm full of creative inspiration, then work with different people."

He looked at Yan Yu and said, "And for this song, I might not actually be the person who performs it best."

Yan Yu neither agreed nor disagreed. In her eyes, whether it was his vocal technique, tone, or control over emotion, Song Dao was first-rate in every respect!

Among people their age in this era, he was absolutely top-tier.

Even if he had been placed in that era when the immortals battled it out, his songwriting ability and singing would still have earned him a place!

He had performed this song with extraordinary emotional power.

She could even imagine how many people would cry just as she had after Song Dao's version was released.

When that time came, what would those people in the mainstream music circle have to say?

Although she was close to Kong Xi, in her view, Kong Xi and Song Dao before her were simply not on the same level.

She had no idea why he hadn't become famous over the past few years.

Was it because he had been busy simping all along?

Well, then never mind...

"Oh, right..." Song Dao suddenly remembered something. "Let me ask you about someone, Senior. His name is Hu Wei. He also graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music. Do you know him?"

Yan Yu froze for a moment, then blurted out, "Him? What about him? He was a senior two years above me, a talented guy at the Central Conservatory of Music back then. We even formed a band together. He's a very sincere person..."

After pausing, she looked at Song Dao. "Don't tell me you want to give him this song to sing? Then he'd be unbelievably lucky!"

With her first impression already formed, Yan Yu genuinely didn't think giving this song to Hu Wei would produce a better result.

This was clearly the kind of song that elevated the singer. She wouldn't say anyone who sang it would become famous, but it wouldn't be far off.

Song Dao smiled. "I've just heard some things about him. As for who'll sing it, we'll talk about that later."

"Sure. Anyway, once you've made up your mind, this song will definitely become popular!" Yan Yu said. She glanced at her phone, then said in surprise, "Is it already past one? Let's eat first, then record that song this afternoon."

Afterward, the two casually ordered two deliveries. While they waited, Yan Yu took the initiative to talk about Hu Wei.

"The Central Conservatory of Music is pretty much like other arts colleges."

"Everyone dreams of becoming famous."

"Simple campus romance is far too fragile in the face of fame and profit."

"Hu Wei and his girlfriend were the enviable golden couple at school back then. The guy was handsome, the girl was beautiful, but unfortunately, once they stepped out into society, everything changed."

"Ideals losing to reality is all too common."

Song Dao already had a rough understanding of Hu Wei's story.

He nodded. "When poverty comes through the door, love flies out the window. People's hearts change so easily..."

"Huh?"

Yan Yu looked at Song Dao in surprise.

She had actually been about to ask whether he had written this song based on Hu Wei's experiences, then wanted to give it to him to sing.

Because judging from the lyrics, it really did fit Hu Wei's story more closely.

As for her junior and his ex-girlfriend, See Through Love, See Through You was even more fitting...

But Song Dao's line, "When poverty comes through the door, love flies out the window. People's hearts change so easily," had completely disrupted her train of thought.

Why was this guy like this?

He was clearly low-key to the extreme, yet he could casually speak in elegant phrases that stirred people's hearts.

As an artsy young woman, that was exactly the sort of thing she couldn't handle.

Song Dao regretted speaking the moment the words left his mouth.

This world had diverged from the Three Kingdoms period, so naturally there were no gifted poets like Yuan Zhen and Nalan Xingde.

He didn't explain and changed the subject instead. "Senior, could you help me draft a contract template? I plan to keep it for future use. Something like an agreement between a songwriter and a singer. Just make it suitable for newcomers, eighty-twenty."

Whether he gave the song to Hu Wei or not was another matter. Since there was a convenient helper right in front of him, he might as well use her.

He had split things fifty-fifty with Kong Xi because Kong Xi was already famous.

He also needed to open up the market.

Besides, when film and television producers commissioned songs, they did so because of Kong Xi's name and traffic, not because of whoever had written the lyrics and melody.

But when he worked with people in the future, he definitely had to hold tightly onto the initiative. Even if the other party was a veteran who had been famous for years, he needed to take the larger share of the profits.

Work with him if they wanted. If not, they could get lost.

After all, the system would still take half of his after-tax income.

When all was said and done, there wasn't much money left.

With songs that could make people famous in his hands, he truly wasn't afraid of being unable to find suitable collaborators.

Yan Yu: "..."

In an instant, she was forcibly dragged out of that emotional mood.

She blinked her peach-blossom eyes and looked at Song Dao with some dissatisfaction.

Her junior was pretty ruthless!

But as she looked at that handsome face, she also felt that such a talented young man being able to remain so clear-headed in the face of profit...

There was nothing wrong with that!

Yes, clear-headed!

Many people in the arts desperately craved fame, wealth, and status deep down, yet insisted on putting on an indifferent, detached act.

They seemed to disdain even talking about fame and profit.

But the moment their interests were affected, they would immediately turn hostile.

A junior like him was better!

Real!

He must have been tempered by that ex-girlfriend of his.

"Fine, I'll go prepare it for you right now!" Yan Yu briskly stood up, went to the computer, and began rapidly revising a contract.

To her, it was merely a small favor.

But for Song Dao, having his senior help not only saved trouble, it also kept things confidential.

Otherwise, he would have to buy a printer himself.

He didn't have much money left. He needed to live frugally.

Following Song Dao's instructions, the contract was quickly completed.

After reading it, he expressed his satisfaction.

The song copyright remained in his hands, while the authorized performer could use it for fifteen years.

During those fifteen years, Song Dao would take eighty percent of the earnings generated by the song, while the other party would take twenty percent.

It was exactly the kind of contract a top producer would sign with a newcomer.

Before this, Yan Yu would definitely have found it absurd.

But now, she felt it wasn't impossible.

With her junior's talent, as long as he kept it up, he would definitely stir up a storm in today's stagnant music scene.

He would restore the glory of those legendary lyricists and composers from back then.

--If you think I'm expensive, don't come to me!

Being an independent musician forever wasn't impossible, but it would create a lot of problems.

There was no rush right now. She could find a time later to talk to him about it.

After lunch, the two rested briefly, then returned to the recording studio on the second floor.

They began recording the second song of the day—Sad City.

Although it hadn't astonished Yan Yu as much as [One Person's Eternal Love], she immediately recognized it as a song from the same lineage as [See Through Love, See Through You]!

Song Dao's performance was still right on point. His singing perfectly portrayed the painful experience and inner struggle of a man betrayed in love.

By this point, Yan Yu was basically certain that the tall, handsome young man before her had a treasure trove hidden in his mind!

He was an all-around lyricist and composer!

He could make female singers shine, and he could win over male listeners too!

"I've heard many stories about veteran musicians creating songs. They say when Teacher Li Zong wrote that classic love song Sentimental Love, he listened to the singer's story while writing the song on a restaurant napkin. By the time the story was over, the song was finished too."

During a break in recording, Yan Yu chatted with Song Dao and said with a smile, "I found it shocking at the time, but it also felt a little unrealistic. It wasn't until I met you that I realized true geniuses really do exist in this world!"

Song Dao felt a little embarrassed by the praise. That's the system's doing. I don't have that ability, so I can't take the credit.

If he hadn't had the system, even after transmigrating and mastering professional music knowledge, even if his memories hadn't become blurry, he probably could have written at most a few dozen songs.

But they still wouldn't have been his.

So he wasn't a genius. He was merely a messenger of music.